Wolves make a comeback in Madrid 70 years after their disappearance

In 2013, the Spanish conservation group Sierra Carpetania filmed two adult wolves, one young male and four wolf cubs inside the Guadarrama National Park. Wolves were once again breeding in the Madrid region after being hunted across the country and virtually disappearing for 70 years.

Now, five years after that sighting, there are “at least five established packs, and that is a conservative figure. The number of specimens ranges between 35 and 40,” says Luis del Olmo, the Madrid regional environment and sustainability chief, citing figures from the latest study commissioned by the Madrid regional government.

The study shows that the numbers are growing “slowly but surely, and are now consolidated in the region,” says Del Olmo.<<<Read More>>>

Staff Note: It needs to be noted here that there appears to be a majority consensus among members and scientists of Wolf Education International that the photo of the canines shown in the article does not depict wolves but dogs or at best a hybrid mix of domestic dog and wolf. It appears the upward curving tail is the give away. One scientist says: “…wolf’s tail never curls up like these do. The tail should more look like a chunk of wood with a small curvature closer to the tail tip. When a wolf rises its tail it should point backward, never above the back.”

In addition to the tail giveaway, the same scientist noted: “…the femur-tibia angle (at the knee) is almost 180 degrees when the wolf when standing, exhibits an angle close to 100-90 degrees.”

It is policy of WEI to discourage the protection of hybrid species of canines. This and a growing number of cross-bred canines is contributing to the destruction of the real wolf.